" It remains to be seen how SARFT intends to enforce these regulations, particularly in the case of user-generated content," speculated David Bandurski of the China Media Project. "Clearly, if followed to the letter, the “Notice” would require massive resources"

According to Danwei.com, this isn't SARFT's first flirtation with the censorship of online video - the regulator has been taking pot-shots at the growing online video industry for years.

Last year, SARFT barred television shows from portraying time travel, claiming the TV shows “casually make up myths, have monstrous and weird plots, use absurd tactics, and even promote feudalism, superstition, fatalism and reincarnation.”

C. Custer of Tech in Asia takes a less-than-rosy view of SARFT's latest censorship move: "Presumably this SARFT announcement means we can look forward to online programming quickly becoming as dull and lifeless as most television programming, which SARFT has been doing its damnedest to suck the fun out of for quite some time now."